Technical Abstract:
Foodborne illness is a significant worldwide public health problem. In 1999, Foodnet reported that Salmonella (4,488 cases) and Campylobacter (3,884 cases) accounted for over 81% of the confirmed foodborne-related diseases in the U.S. Salmonella (non-typhoid) and Campylobacter continues to be the predominant food-borne pathogen worldwide, and poultry associated products are, reportedly, a prevailing vehicle. Several methods to control poultry flock infections prior to slaughter are just beginning to be elucidated, and considerable progress will undoubtedly be made in this area in the near future. It is clear that the origin of these pathogens in poultry processing plants is in the flocks of product origin. As such, pre-harvest food-borne pathogen control can have a major impact in reducing contamination of fresh product with these agents of human food-borne illness as intervention strategies are elucidated, understood, and implemented. Current knowledge of ante mortem Salmonella and Campylobacter intervention is discussed in this review.